5 steps to starting a letter-writing group
Writing works two ways: it comes naturally, or it takes a big longer for you to get started. Either way, starting a letter writing-group is an interactive way to get your creative juices flowing. Additionally, it’s a great way to relieve some stress. Letter writing teaches patience, encourages unity and lets you reflect on both the successes and setbacks of your journey through life. Gather a group of your friends, neighbors and community members, and invite them to be part of a letter-writing group.
Here are five steps to get you started:
1. Draft a proposal
In order to spread the word about your newfound letter-writing group, you’re going to need to develop a proposal and pass out flyers. List the who, what, where, when and why. Don’t forget to include your contact information on the flyer in case perspective members have additional questions.
2. Consider the content
What kind of content are you looking for? This could be anything from drafting short stories, poems, or even something as simple as birthday cards. Ponder the thought of hosting workshops once in a while, and touch on topics such as, “What to write in a sympathy card,” or “How to write business thank-you cards.”
3. Choose a location
To choose a prime location, send out a survey to all members who agreed to be part of the letter-writing group. You could offer to switch houses for every meeting, or choose a central location like the local library or coffee shop.
4. Set a schedule
Determine when you want to meet, whether that be weekly, biweekly or monthly. With a large group comes the challenge of people not being able to meet on the same day, so ask everyone to list days and times that they know they are available. From these notes, you’re then able to build out the group schedule.
5. Develop a structure
Bigger groups of people often benefit from some type of structure to prevent chaos and miscommunication. Start by determining whether or not you want to set deadlines. If you do have set dates for material to be due, this will ensure that members come prepared to each meeting with something to share. If you allow the writer to procrastinate, he or she may show up to these meetings with little or no material to share with the group.
Another structural aspect that you should test out is how members should deliver feedback. Do you want this to be a dialogue setting, or have the writer sit quietly and accept whatever feedback the group has. The latter may help prevent the writer from getting defensive, but an open dialogue could definitely help the writer progress.
Consider whether you want to have feedback sent through email or verbalized in a meeting. If writers send their feedback via email, it provides their counterparts more time to read over the material and offer thoughtful feedback, seeing as meetings are only scheduled for a certain amount of time. If group members send their materials out to the team beforehand, everyone has more time to read it over and offer in-depth comments and suggestions.
You should also develop a timeline for when you want certain materials to be due. Considering on how often your group meets, you want to make sure they have an ample amount of time to produce good, thoughtful content.
Whatever your structure strategies might be, be sure to have them set before the first meeting so things don’t get too out of hand. If your desired structure isn’t working out, play around with alternatives and see what works best with the group.
